Different types of firearms and firearm accessories have increased steadily over time in both functionality and flexibility, and today, there is a wide variety of firearms and accessories available. Innovation in the firearms industry is also driven by legislative trends, as firearm owners are required to respond by limiting the functionality of their firearms and/or accessories.
In recent times, Federal and/or State laws have limited features of semi-automatic firearms and/or also the capacity of firearm magazines. In some jurisdictions, the use of detachable magazines with semi-automatic rifles is strictly regulated. For example, in 1989, the Roberti-Roos Assault-weapons Control-act was passed in California, mandating the encumbering of the original quick-release button be retrofitted into what is legislatively referred to as a “fixed-magazine” release-button. This necessitated the use of an encumbering supplemental-tool which by legislative mandate cannot be an inherently permanent part of the rifle.
To comply, the magazine release mechanism of these semi-automatic rifles has to be modified to work only with a tool such as the bullet tip of a rifle cartridge. Systems and methods of modifying these semi-automatic rifles have been achieved by design changes by gun parts manufacturers. One of the most common modifications is a Bullet Button™, which modifies a rifle to prevent the user from being able to release a magazine by solely using a finger. Weapons with this feature no longer have a “detachable magazine” within the assault weapons definition, and therefore may be exempt depending on the other requirements.
Specifically, the AR-15 rifle was originally designed and manufactured as a fully-automatic firing gun, however, some States impose modifications mandating conversion-restriction into only semi-automatic operation. For example, California requires a separate tool-release of a maximum 10-round magazine-clip.
Accordingly, prior arts have included the well-known impeding release-button device that is also known as the Bullet Button™. The Bullet Button™ is a product that allows the shooter to drop a magazine with the use of a tool. It prevents finger manipulation of the magazine release, and creates a condition allowable under the current laws of many jurisdictions. The assembly does not create a detachable magazine situation, but creates an attachable-fixed magazine condition. A bullet tip can be used as the tool, as can a number of other small objects such as an Allen wrench or a small screwdriver.
Other prior arts include a finger-tip device facilitating more convenient release of an magazine-clip from a gun, where the magazine/release-buttons of the gun are configured with a statute-mandated recessed sub-button, such as the Bullet Button™ discussed above. Such finger-tip device involves a rifle ammunition magazine-clip button depressor that employs index-finger finger-stall member to be adapted with a rigid probe insertion-pin necessarily made to fit into the center-bore of the existing specialty impeding release-button device.
These modifications results in ergonomic encumbrances to the users of these guns during firing-range practices. It may also pose as adversely imperiling the safe operation of the gun by distracting the shooter's attention from down-range concentration. This detrimental effect occurs when the shooter has spent the last round of their gun's magazine-clip, and is thus caused to fumble for a separate pocket-tool (such as the head of a bullet), which is necessary to insert into the release-hole, as mandate by some jurisdictions, to thereby facilitate a linear depression actuation of a sub-button recessed therein. This intentionally impeding release-button device actually retrofits and replaces the original quick-action magazine-clip release-button located upon the right sidewall of the gun's breech.
It has now become necessary, as statutes may mandate the ban of the use of Bullet Button™, to use a firearm button magazine release tool assembly that works as a regular magazine release, a fixed magazine release (Bullet Button™), or to lock out the button completely.